Dragging Yourself Out of Bed

I bet you jump out of bed each morning before the alarm even goes off. Maybe you don’t even need an alarm. If this is you, stop reading now. I have nothing to offer you.

For those of you like me, who could always use an extra hour or two of sleep and who think mornings should be outlawed, read on.

In a perfect world we could sleep until we wanted to get up. And we could still be productive and have a job and all that.

Well I got news for you – the world ain’t perfect.

We have to get up at indecent hours and shower and dress and then go somewhere and be productive. And we’re still sleepy.

So, since we have to do this whether or not we want to, how can we make it easier?

Well I have some tips for you. They may help you get out of bed on time in the morning. I can’t guarantee you’ll like it any better.

First, and most obvious, is to get to bed on time. If you have to be up at 6:00 a.m., you should probably be in bed around 10:00 or 11:00 p.m. Right. I know how that works.

Most people need six to eight hours of sleep per night, consistently. You can’t “catch up” on sleep on the weekends. Your body doesn’t work that way.

Now I know that you’re probably a night owl by nature, and that late night is maybe the only time that you get time to yourself. I get that.

Let me give you two good reasons why you should be getting enough sleep on a regular basis. It helps improve your ADHD symptoms immensely and it stops your body from storing fat.

Speaking of fat, you also need to cut out any late night snacking. Eating later in the evening means your body is digesting food when it should be getting restored and renewed. Also if you eat certain foods and then go to bed, it can upset your stomach and keep you up.

Now what about getting up in the morning?

Well here is a crazy idea that can really work if you try it. Practice getting up either when your alarm goes off or before. How do you do that?

At night, when you are ready for bed, get in and then visualize yourself getting up in the morning with ease. Actually close your eyes, pretend the alarm has gone off, and then get out of bed. It sounds silly, but if you do it enough, it trains your body to do what you want – get out of bed right away.

You can also help yourself out by keeping a glass of water on your nightstand. A refreshing drink of water first thing can help wake you up.

Do some light stretches when you get out of bed – or even before – to help you wake up.

And if all else fails, get an alarm clock with multiple alarms. Or better yet, get 3 or 4 and put them all over your bedroom.